when protest makes policy

Press author S. Laurel Weldon recently appeared on the New Books network’s New Books in Political Science to discuss her Victoria Schuck Award-winning book, When Protest Meets Policy. Weldon’s main line of inquiry has been into a broader look at representation and where this interest of political science banks sharply into sociology, where it has become left somewhat unattended. Social movements as a mechanism of the democratic process, Weldon argues, are an incredibly important aspect of modern democracy. “In Political Science, we have focused a lot more on the ideas movements have, and organizations as the manifestations of ideas,” Weldon said. […]

Political theorist S. Laurel Weldon’s When Protest Makes Policy: How Social Movements Represent Disadvantaged Groups is the winner of the 2012 Victoria Schuck Award for best contribution to women and politics. A major annual award from the American Political Science Association, the prize was instituted to honor Schuck’s mentorship and service to women as a political scientist and professor. When Protest Makes Policy is a case study into social conflict in democracy, and its role as a form of representation for disadvantaged groups. The book’s themes became especially relevant shortly after publication with the advent of the Arab Spring and Occupy […]

As Occupy Wall Street nears the end of its second month and the future of encampments across the country becomes an increasingly pressing question, Time magazine spoke with When Protest Makes Policy author S. Laurel Weldon for her perspective on what has become an international movement. In the article, Weldon suggested that the two most likely outcomes for any large protest movement are victory or a gradual fading. “Protests are successful when they generate attention or influence the political agenda,” Weldon says as the movement has already spread across over 70 U.S. cities. “Occupy Wall Street protesters want attention to […]